PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE • February 6, 2025
A small forage fish near the bottom of the food chain has a significant effect on the survival of several iconic predators along the Atlantic Seaboard, including striped bass, bluefish and ospreys. A coalition of conservation groups is supporting a renewed push for studies on the ecology, fishery impacts and economic significance of the Atlantic menhaden. Jaclyn Higgins, forage fish program manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said scientists lack current data on the number and condition of menhaden fisheries. "This is the largest fishery on the Atlantic coast. It's the third-largest fishery by volume in the U.S..”